Stop motion for knitting machines



Sept. 23, 1941. M. ANToNEvlcH STOP MOTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 3, 1959 Sept 23, 1941- M. ANToNr-:vlCl-l 2,257,030

STOP MOTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 5, 41939 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Sept. 23, 1941 -UNlTED STATES PATENTOFFICIE STOP MOTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES Michael Antonevich, Franklin Township, Somerset County, N. J., assigner to Crawford Manufacturing Company, New Brunswick, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 3, 1939, Serial No. 265,823 6 Claims. (Cl. 66-163) This invention relates toy stop motions for knitting machines and others in which textile threads are employed and which must be stopped promptly should the thread break or become subnormally slack or abnormally taut.

The invention more specifically relates to stop motions of the general type disclosed in the prior patent to Alfred Crawford No. 1,992,860, dated February 26, 1935, and assigned to the Crawford Manufacturing Company of New Brunswick, New Jersey, the assignee of the present case.

In devices of the type disclosed in said prior patent there is a series ofY arms radiating from a central hub casing. In the casing there are two sets of tension springs arranged with one end of each spring of one set attached to a common tensioning spider, with the opposite ends of the springs of the set respectively connected to levers fixed on the inner ends of tubular shafts which are journaled in the radiating arms with their inner ends projecting into the hub casing. The second set of springs has one end of each spring connected to a second common tensioning spider, with the opposite ends of the springs of the set respectively connected to levers which are secured to shafts respectively journaled in the tubular shafts.

The inner shafts are respectively provided with thread-controlled fingers at the outer endsof the radiating arms. The tubular shafts are respectively provided with levers having projections underlying the fingers on the inner shafts. The springs connected to the levers lon said shafts, and which with their common regulating spiders are located within the casing, under con'- ditions ofA abnormal tension in the threads respectively engaged by the fingers, cooperate to resist turning of the shafts by such tensioning of the threads.

' It is necessary in the type of device noted to provide equal resistance to the rotations of the shafts on all of the arms in order that the threads engaging the fingers carried by the arms will be fed to the needles of the knitting machine under substantially the same tension, in

order that the stitches knitted from the different threads will all be of the same size in the completed fabric.

In order to place all of the thread-controlled fingers under the same degree of resistance to rotation by the respective threads it is necessary to test and regulate each ofthe springs of each series individually before the springs are placed in the hub casing and connected at their opposite .ends to the common tensioners and the levers on the shafts which carry the fingers, so that, when the common tensioner for either series of springs is operated equal resistance to rotation of the ngers by the threads will be ELlplied thereto.

The individual testing and regulation of the springs, inV order to make all -springs of each series alike, is a laborious and time-consuming operation and at the best is not entirely satisfactory.

One object of the present invention is to construct a device in a manner to eliminate the necessity for the'individual testing and regula-y tion of the several springs of the two series.

Another disadvantage inherent in constructions having an inner shaft journaled within a tubular shaft for relative rotation between the two is that a slight warping or bending of either shaft will causev a binding between the two shafts and a consequent disruption of the rather delicate operation of the finger carried by the one shaft and complementarily acted -upon by the other shaft.

Another object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a construction in which the necessity for journaling one shaft within another is eliminated.

The construction and operation of a stop motion device made in accordance' with the principles of the present invention will be fully disclosed hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a segmental section of the central hub casing with one of a plurality of radiating arms projecting therefrom;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the mechanism of the stop motion device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the outer end of the arm and mechanism thereon, as taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the outer end of the arm and a longitudinal sectional elevation of the inner end of the arm and the hub casing with the section taken on the line 4 4, Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a face view of the switch mechanism illustrated in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the outer end of the arm and the mechanism carried thereby as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional elevation taken on the line 1 1, Fig. v1; y l Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional elevation taken on the line 8 8, Fig. 1; and

. under circumstances hereinafter noted.

mechanism which isshown in Yconnection with the arm illustrated in the drawings.

Journaled at 3, in the wall of the hub easing I,

and at 4, in arbearing bracket 5 Vsecured to the arm 2, is a single shaft 6,. Secured to the inner end of the shaft 6, within -thecasing I, is'ja dou? The opposite ends 8 and 9, of

ble arm lever 1. the lever 'I are'disposed at opposite sides4 ofthe of the Shaft V6. ,and are respectively arranged to engage timetable Switch. .element lit-'to rock said element-about itsv pivotV I Iv into contactgwith a Stationary switch. element it., against the. Vtension of ya spring I3 when the shaft fis-rocked in either clockwise or a counterclockwise direction Secured to the outer `end of the shaft 6, b e yondatne bearing d., is a yarn yor.thread-engaging linger I5.

YThe neerV l5. is arranged to be rocked in one direotion-ae ,in the Y.direction ofthe arrowfa (Eig. .2),1by a primarytorque-eppiying Spring I6, one en d of which is connected to'a rear or lever portion IJ; of the finger I5. VThe opposite endg'of the spring .i6 is connected to ananchor element I8. The anchor element I Sfisadjustf ably mounted -on a bracket Iil'carried-by and depending from a frame Zlhaving abase portion secured, by ascrew 2l, to the outer end of the. drm .2.. Adjustment of the element I8,to. ward and away from the shaft 6A regulates the l normal primary torque applied to the. nger I5: d by the. spring I6.;v

Y The frame 26, is provided .with a lug 22 in which secured. a screw stud or post 23. The. stud 23A is arranged in laterally spaced parallel relation to. and above the afgis ofthe shaft 6. Between the.. head. ofthe stud 23 and the outer. side of the. lug22 isa spacingsleeve 24 on which is rotat. ably. mounted a vhub 250i a complementary torquelever 26. Theleyer'ZB :is provided with a; lateral extension 2,'I.V which projects under Ybutiis normally out of Contact with the thread Vfinger I5. TheV com.V

plementary torque lever 26 is. adaptedf toV be swung in the direction of` the arrow b (Fig. 2) by a secondary or Acomplementary torque-applying spring 28. v l

One end 29; of thespring 2t is. anchored in an Yopening '3.0 formed in thelever. 26. The' opposite endf3lofthe spiral spring 2,8 is anchored'in an opening 32:v formed; in. a 'complementary torque. regulating or adjusting element 33. Thetorque-A lglllatn elemnt 3,3 is in the, for n.1. f .3f lmlrled knob or wheel rotatably mountedon the sleeve 2A, between the head ofthe .screw stud23. and the dater" @nu ci the' hun 25, of theielver 2e. d

` Movementy of the complementary torque: applying lever 26 inthe direction oi the arrow b (Fig. 2)V is limited' by a stopY 34 which isY in the forni of a flat spring secured tothe frame structure 20 by the Vscrew V35 and thereby the Vlateral projection ,2l oi the lever 26 is prevented-'from moving upwardly'- a sulicientV distance tol engage the finger I when the latter is supporting a thread under normal torque of the spring I6 acting against a counteracting normal torque applied in the opposite direction by normal tension on the thread engaged by the finger I5.

The peripheral edge or face 36 of the torqueregulating element 33 is serrated, as shown in Fig. 9, f or engagement by a detent 31 which is in the form of ya flat spring secured to the base element by the screw 2|.V A guide screw 38 mounted in the structure 20 passes through the spring detent 31 to prevent lateral movement of the detent while permitting vertical movement of the outer end of the detent, by a depressed rib 3Q 'o said detent riding the serrations 36 of thgtorque regulator 33.

Under normal operationof the device, the ten` Y sion of the, spring I6 applies a normal torque to the shaft 6. and nger I5 which is counteracted by a normal torque produced by normal tension of the knitting thread passing overthe finger la Thus. the. finger l5 assumes. the'norf.. mail broken line position of Fig. Underthese conditions. the ends 8 and 9 of the .swtchmpel'ate ing lever 1 on the innerr end of the shaft 6 Wtllr. in the casing lare aneutral position, With the movable switch element I [l out of Contact with the relatively stationary switch .element I2. Y. If the vthread passing over the finger I5 should become subnormally slack or break, the finger I5, under normal torque applied by the primary spring I6., will swing 'upwardly beyond the normally broken line position (Fig. 2) and rock the f shaft 6 accordingly. Y

c .(Fig. 2) from the. broken line position to the full lineposition in said figure and causethe lower side of the finger I5 to make contact, with the lateral rprojection 21 of the complementary lever- 26:. .As the tightening of the. thread over the iinger I5. increases the nger I5 and the. com. pleihentaryflever 2 6 engaged thereby will move' downwardly in unison, from the. full line. positionr shown in Fig. 2, against theV combined torque, or force exerted in the opposite direction by the.

primary spring L6. and the secondary spring 28,:-

This rocks the shaft 6. in the opposite direction to. that above noted and causes the upper end It. of-the lever 1 to Contact with the switch element. I6, rocking said element I 0 about its pvot I I; into, contactwith the switch element |12', whereby the machine will bej brought to a stop in the. Same* manner as above noted.

- From. the above, Yit will be clear that the regu. latineelements I8. may be independently adi usted toward and away from the. Shafts 6; for inde: pendentlyregulating the tensions of the primary Springs 116. and: correspondingly regulating' the.

normal torque applied to each threadengaging finger .|;5 and that this independent regulationv of? ther primary normaljtordues on the lingers.. 1.5; is readnyaccomplished by independent mechanisms disposed externally of the hub. casing I;.`

f Ltgwill also be clear tha t: .aA correspondingly in-V dependent V'regu-lation. of' the complementar-y.

torques 'applied tothengers I5 can ybe readily,

accomplished through means located outside the casing I by merely turning the complementary torque-regulating knobs or wheels 33.

In addition to eliminating the necessity for ac,- curately equalizing all the springs of the device disclosed in the above noted prior patent before assembling the device, as noted above, the arrangement of parts on which the present case is predicated makes it possible to regulate and equalize the tensions on the various threads being fed to the knitting machine and drawn from different cones or other packages respectively wherein the thread or threads from one or more cones have been Wound differently on the respective packages which alone or with other circumstances or conditions causes the threads to pull harder or easier, as the case may be, from the package as the threads are being drawn into the needles of the knitting machine.

I claim:

l. In a stop motion device comprising a central casing and a plurality of arms radiating therefrom, a single operating shaft journaled in each arm with one end projecting into said casing, a thread-engaging finger secured to each shaft adjacent the outer end of each arm, resilient means individual to each finger and its shaft for exerting a predetermined torque thereon constantly in one direction in opposition to a counteracting torque exerted on the finger by the tension of the thread engaging the nger, normally ineffective means for applying additional torque to said shaft, means on the inner end of the shaft for effecting operation of the stop motion upon unbalancing of said counteracting torques and a resultant turning of the shaft, and means carried by each .arm externally of the casing and individual to each of said resilient means and to each of said additional torque applying means for independently regulating the torque applied thereby to its corresponding shaft and finger respectively.

2. In a stop motion device comprising a central casing and -a plurality of arms radiating therefrom, a single operating shaft journaled in each arm with one end projecting into said casing, a thread-engaging finger secured to each shaft adjacent the outer end of each arm, primary resilient means individual to each nger and its shaft for exerting a predetermined torque thereon in one direction in opposition to a counteracting torque exerted on the finger by the tension of the thread engaging the finger, means on the inner end of the shaft for effecting operation of the stop motion upon unbalancing of said counteracting torques and a resultant turning of the shaft, means carried by each arm externally of the casing and individual to each of said primary resilient means for independently regulating the torque applied thereby to its corresponding shaft and finger, a normally ineffective secondary resilient means for applying a complementary torque to said nger and its shaft in the same direction as said primary resilient means upon abnormal overbalancing of the torque of said primary resilient means by abnormal tension developing in said thread, and means individual to each secondary resilient means carried by each arm externally of said casing for independently -regulating the .complementary torque applied thereby.

3. In a device of the kind described comprising an outwardly projecting arm, a shaft journaled on the arm, a thread-engaging nger secured to the shaft adjacent the outer end of the arm, a

lever secured to said shaft, an element adjustably mounted on the arm for movement toward and away from said shaft, a primary spring having one end anchored to said lever and the opposite end anchored to said adjustable element for regulating the torque applied to said shaft and finger by said spring in opposition to a counteracting torque applied to the finger by a thread engaged thereby, a second lever pivotally mounted on said arm with an outer end normally lying in the path of movement of said finger, means normally holding said second lever from contacting said finger, a second spring having one end anchored to said second lever and applying a predetermined torque on said second lever in the same direction as the primary torque is applied to said nger by said primary spring, and means adjustably mounted on said arm and to which the second end of said second spring is anchored for regulating the torque applied thereby to said second lever, said finger under abnormal overbalancing of the torque applied thereto by said first spring moving into contact with said second lever and receiving a complementary concurrent torque applied thereto by said second spring for opposing abnormal tension developing in the thread engaged by said finger.

4. The combination of an outwardly projecting arm, a shaft journaled on said arm, a stud secured in said arm and extending parallel to said shaft, a thread-engaging nger secured to said shaft, means for applying a primary predetermined torque to said shaft for opposing a normal counteracting torque applied to said finger by a thread engaged thereby, a lever pivoted on said stud with one end in the path of movement of and normally out of Contact with said finger, a wheel rotatably mounted on said stud, a spring encircling said stud with one end anchored to said lever and its opposite end anchored to said wheel, and means for securing said Wheel against rotation by said spring for maintaining a predetermined torque on said lever through the spring interposed between said Wheel and said lever.

5. The combination of an outwardly projecting arm, a thread-engaging finger pivotally mounted on said arm adjacent the outer end thereof, a stud secured in said arm, an adjusting element rotatably mounted on said stud, a spring encircling said stud With one end anchored to said adjusting element and the opposite end arranged to apply a torque to said finger in opposition to a counteracting torque applied to the fingerby tension of a thread engaged by the finger, and a detent for maintaining said torque of said spring.

6. The combination of a casing, an arm projecting outwardly from said casing, a shaft journaled in said arm With one end in the casing, a thread-engaging finger secured to the shaft externally of the casing, a double arm lever secured to the shaft Within the casing, resilient means applying torque to the shaft in one direction in opposition to a counteracting torque applied to the shaft by tension on the thread engaged by said nger, a stationary switch element in said casing, a movable switch element pivotally mounted in the casing adjacent said shaft and said double arm lever thereon and movable into contact with said stationary switch element by engagement with either of said lever arms by unbalancing of said torques and consequential rocking of the shaft.

MICHAEL ANTONEVICH. 

